Oct 06 (NHK) - Researchers at Kyoto University in Japan have started what they say is the world's first clinical trial of medicine found through iPS cell studies.
The team, led by Professor Junya Toguchida of the university's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, began the trial on Thursday.
The researchers are testing a drug for treatment of FOP, or fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva. The rare genetic disorder gradually turns muscle tissue into bone.
19-year-old FOP patient, Ikumi Yamamoto, received Rapamycin, the immunosuppressant drug, at Kyoto University Hospital.
The team used iPS cells donated by Yamamoto and other FOP patients to discover the drug. iPS cells can develop into any type of body cells and tissue.
The researchers say animal tests and other experiments showed Rapamycin is effective in curbing the disease's progression.
